Re: Diabetes and my last post. Sounds like most of us know plenty of people with diabetes — mostly type 2. And many of you expressed extreme frustration with friends and loved ones that fail to take action in keeping their disease, weight, and eating habits controlled. It’s scary to think that 1 in 3 US citizens born after 2000 is estimated to have diabetes; the incidences in minorities is estimated at 1 in 2. Scary stuff! All of the above are reasons I’ve made my “specialty” diabetes.
But, if you are facing tough times with a loved one of friend, DO NOT GIVE UP! I had a patient just last week who was dropped from his provider’s service because he was noncompliant with his diabetes diet and medications for YEARS. He had been showing signs of neuropathy for some time and his eye sight was quickly failing. Between getting the 411 from his new provider and several sessions with me, he has brought his blood sugars down to safe levels in just a few short weeks. Never lose hope! People do change!
So, as I read through blogs this week I was making lists of all the recipes I wanted to try. Um, there were a lot.
I’ve been trying to make easy on-the-go breakfast items to take to work, and after 2 weeks of granola, these fig muffins caught my eye. It was also my first time baking vegan! Thumbs up!
Vegan Fig Muffins from Weekly Bite
2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup fig preserves
1 cup canola oil
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup roughly chopped figs
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl, set aside. In a mixer, combine sugar, canola oil, applesauce, fig preserves, and vanilla. Mix until blended well. Add flour mixture with sugar mixture. Mix until combined. Gently fold in chopped figs.
Line muffin tin with cup. I like to spray the muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray. Use a regular size ice cream scoop to scoop out the batter into the muffin cups.
Bake for 27 minutes rotating once until golden brown or toothpick comes out clean.
Yield: 17 muffins
Nutrition Information (per muffin): 244 calories; 13.5 g. fat; 91 mg. sodium; 26.3 g. carbohydrate; 3 g. fiber; 0.4 g. protein
Deeeeeeeeeeeeelicious!
Bleu Cheese & Shallot Bread
Adapted from Taste of Home
1/2 cup chopped shallots
3 tablespoons 50/50 Smart Balance butter blend
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 cup cold 50/50 Smart Balance butter blend
1 egg
1 cup fat-free milk
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
In a small skillet, saute shallots in butter until tender; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and mustard. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, whisk egg and milk. Stir into crumb mixture just until moistened. Fold in cheeses and reserved shallot mixture.
Transfer to a greased 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pan. Bake at 325° for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack. Yield: 1 loaf (12 slices).
Nutrition Information (per slice): 196 calories, 11 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 44 mg cholesterol, 473 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 6 g protein.
This recipe popped into my in-box this week and it took a lot of self-restraint not to run out for the ingredients right then and there. As a lover of all things cheese, especially moldy and bleu…I knew it would be a hit! And, of course, it was!
Mmmmmmmmmm!
We also checked out a local meat market and Whole Foods for nitrate-free turkey bacon and ground turkey.
Whole Foods does a great job of pointing out local buys…love it!
Side note: I do very little shopping at Whole Foods or other organic/health stores. I mainly purchase meat from Whole Foods. As much appreciation and respect I have for organic everything, I have a budget to stick to and must prioritize where my grocery dollars are spent. To me, organic meat takes top priority.
And Friday night I got creative with Skinny Cows…
I threw into the blender 1 Skinny Cow, ice, frozen banana, and almond milk…
Random question: If you were starting a vegetable/herb garden, what would you be sure to plant?
P.S. If you missed your question being answered on the Q&A, scroll down! It’s there! Any question’s for the next Q&A can be sent to me at: [email protected]!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend…Lily and I are off to the dog park! It’s chilly but sunny here!
The fig muffins sound great! Nice and healthy snack/breakfast. Be sure to plant tomato plants. Basil is also really easy to grow and they make a great pair!
YAY! I’m so glad you liked the Fig Muffins!!!
I’ve never done the nutritionals on them, thanks for doing that! Now I know they taste so good 🙂
Have a wonderful Sunday Nicole!
OOoohhhhh, I love the skinny cow idea!! I will have to try that out… thanks! 🙂
great idea to blend up a skinny cow, i NEVER would have thought of that! wow, amazing story about your client. it’s hearing things like that that make me really want to pursue a career in health, even though i’m not 100% sure what i want to do! but obviously as a dietitian you get to help people in a major and tangible way. you probably saved that guy’s life!! those muffins sound sooo good. i love baking things and then freezing some so i can just reheat and go in the mornings 🙂
Blue Cheese and Shallot bread… umm that sounds delicious! It’s so much fun trying out new recipes others come up with.
I’m totally with you on the Whole Foods shopping. While I absolutely love the store, I can’t afford to buy everything there. I also don’t think it’s necessary to buy EVERYTHING organic…with the exception of animal products.
If I had a vegetable/herb garden (which will hopefully happen this year!) I would be sure to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and basil.
I’m thinking I may have to try making those fig muffins…. yum!
A lot of people do not realize they need to take responsibility for their diabetes and assume the doctor will fix everything and that pills are magical and will cure diabetes. What they don’t understand is that they are also a part of their care team along with the medical providers and they need to learn to take responsibility for their own medical care and management of the disease at home. Pills treat things, diet treats things, exercise and weight loss treat things. These need to be done together to treat this…there is not a CURE as we think of getting rid of it (well except in those cases of gastric bypass surgery which is a totally different mechanism). People need to step it up. I just think they don’t realize the important role they play in management their diabetes…why we call it diabetes self management courses.
Those muffins look and sound tasty!! You are quite the baker, are you going to join the Haiti bake sale? Those would be good 🙂 I can’t shop at whole foods all the time either, as much as I believe in it, just can’t afford it 🙂 I’d love to do a little garden in the future, and I’d have to have basil and cilantro for sure. Have a nice weekend!
I love the nitrate free meats at Whole Foods. That’s one one things I like to buy there, really.
Your Skinny Cow creation is awesome! I love that idea, and it looks so cool in the martini glass.
Speaking of gardens, it’s one of the main reasons why Nick and I want to get a house. I want to plan pumpkins, tomatoes, cilantro, basil, rosemary, and so much more!
I saw those muffins on Estela’s blog and thought they looked SO good! Glad they were a success!
I agree with you about buying all organic. As much as I’d like to, I simply cannot afford it all of time! Unfortunately, organic is really, really expensive. When you’re on a budget, you have to prioritize.
Yums that Skinny Cow creation looks great! Those muffins look so good! I feel like baking something now.
I want a little herb garden SO badly!!
I would absolutely have basil and cilantro.
That bread looks fantastic. Im scared of bleu cheese, so I would use something different, but YUM!
I would have never thought to do that with a Skinny Cow! It looked delicious!
Thanks for sharing the vegan muffins with us last night! I had one for breakfast this morning. I don’t even like figs but these were DE-LISH! Keep the recipes coming and we’ll be your taste testers anytime! We’ve been saving the bread for dinner tonight. (I’m waiting in breathless anticipation!)
Basil, rosemary, and thyme!
Both the muffins and the shallot bread look great! I love that you tried the vegan thing and then you switched gears and used blue cheese. I bet the blue cheese is great in that bread.
As far as shopping goes, most of my $$ go to Trader Joe’s, best bang for the buck. I love Whole Foods, but I need to be mindful as to how much I spend there, money goes quick!
Herbs: Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, Parsley xo
Oh my god I want that bread!!
I love savory breads! That shallot bread is calling my name right now. Right or wrong, I do love homemade breads!
I think I will make some loaves tomorrow.
Savory breads are the best and your muffins look delicious too! I got the 18 rabbits bar this weekend – thank you!! Can’t wait to try it 🙂
WOW great eats! the skinny cow thing sounds awesome girl-great idea!
great job girl love the look of the bread nom nom, yep people do change when they want to do it for them
The numbers on the next generations of diabetics is scary. You’re so right that we probably all know somebody who has it. Great reminder to stay positive as an RD. I’m sure the counseling process can be frustrating. I’m not one to watch the pot boil. 🙂
The baked goods look scrumptious! I’m also a big fan of the ice cream in the blender concoction.. mmm..
Herb garden. I could never have too much rosemary. Its good in everything.
ym, Love the recipe for blue cheese and shallot bread.
And…I miss having Whole Foods near me 🙁
Great inspiring story, pictures, and recipes. You have a way with words and attention to details.
Muffin looks so good and moist….
I need to get back into baking muffins–I like to take em’ with an apple and some PB for a midmorning snack during classes. My grandpa has type 2 diabetes, but he does not do one thing right at managing it–I am not a dietician, but some food choices are just obvious. And lifestyle changes such as exercise play a big part as well.
What an interesting way to enjoy a skinny cow!
I’m dying to have a vegetable/herb garden! Sadly I don’t really have a yard or a permanent home at the moment. I would definitely want (depending on whether it grows where I live I guess): tomatoes, basil, rosemary, some sort of squash, zucchini, red peppers, carrots, the list goes on…
I also really want an apple tree 🙂
Congrats on the vegan baking success!
My herb garden (well it’s not one gardn but instead mixed in with other plants) includes (in order of importance): mint, basil, chives, rosemary, and sage. I’ve planted spinach and bok choy, but I always think the most important veggie for me is broccoli and yet Ive never planted it – not sure why. Oh, and we always have tomatoes in the summer. Food tastes better when you have the satisfaction of ‘I not only made this, the ingredients came from my garden!’ I adore my basil plants – homemade pesto wins!
I have been trying to find some muffin recipes that I like and can take with me to work as well.. the problem is I am trying to find stuff that are gluten free and vegan.. I tried an almond chocolate chip cookie using almond flour.. it tasted good but its not like chocolate chip cookie as I know it.
These recipes both look great! I’ve never had figs in muffins but it sounds amazing.
Having an own herb garden would be such a dream.. My parents had one when I was a kid and I really miss it. I would definitely grow zucchini, carrots, strawberries, all sorts of herbs, tomatoes, squash… My list is endless!
The muffins with dates sound totally scrumptious and I love the blue cheese bread, yum!
Both muffins and bread look great. I have figs in the pantry and was wondering what to do with them. THANKS! As for the bread – unique. I’ll give that a try as well.
That bleu cheese bread sounds amazing! I probably wouldn’t be able to stop at one slice.
I had basil which I loved. I recently planted rosemary. I would love to grow tomatoes since I use them a lot in cooking.
If I were starting a garden, I’d be sure to plant tomatoes, lettuce and basil.
What a great idea with the Skinny Cow! I LOVE Skinny Cow anything.
I agree 100% about organic meat – that is one thing I would actually spend more $$ on, especially because I don’t eat a whole lot of meat. Now to just find some!
I would plant LOTS and lots of cilantro. I cannot get enough!!
Awesome creation with the skinny cow!!!! It culd be called skinny cow martini!!!!
Hmmmmm i would plant Cilantro, tomatoes , and cucumbers!!!!!
Nice job on all the vegan/diabetes friendly baking!
Love that you blended a skinny cow! haha
GOodness those fig muffins sound and look SO good!! I can totally see myself enjoying it along with a glass of chocolate smoothie, but I could never bring myself to toss a skinny cow sandwich into the blender!!!! I LOOOVE ice-cream sandwiches!!! hahahah I’m sure it tastes fantastic though!!
Wow… everything looks so gooooooooddddddd…….
I baked a little bit yesterday too. Made a healthy banana bread. I’ll post the recipe a little later or tomorrow morning. It was pretty good even though it had a little too much banana and not enough “bread”. I should try some of yours recipes soon… they sound too good!
mmmm…. vegan fig muffins… !
I worked on a farm this summer, and the lady that ran the farm told me that the things worth planting are the things that are easy to grow, but relatively expensive to buy- like lettuce (she had tons of different types of lettuce), tomatoes, beans, peppers, herbs.
Loved this post Nicole! I could not agree with you more about people just “living” with diabetes and doing nothing about it because they don’t “feel” bad. It’s the years of neglect that catch up with you, and you of all people know that sometimes its too late!
Wow, lots of baking – I’ve never done anything vegan – looks interesting!
The fig muffins sound great!
I think it’s very important to prioritize when and where you buy organic. I also only buy organic meat and chicken (but we have reduced our meat & poultry consumption a lot). It isn’t in my budget either to buy everything organic. I also try to buy local whenever I can and will choose local conventional produce over certified organic produce that has traveled thousands of miles. I have found that my organic CSA is actually a great way to get local, organic produce at a good price.
Wow, I don’t know what looks better, your muffins or your bread! I really need to make those muffins ASAP (I love figs!). That is a brilliant idea with the skinny cow…I never would have thought of that! I would have to plant tons of tomatoes since they’re so easy to can or make into sauce! 🙂
hey,
I got your comment on my blog. I tried to reply to the email that I got when you commented but you have a no reply set up.
If you want people to be able to reply to your comments (like most bloggers have set up) do this:
Go to your Dashboard on Blogger.com.
2. Hit your edit profile, right next to your picture on the top left.
3. Scroll down to the line that says : Show my email address and CHECK THE BOX.
4. Hit save.
Actually, you dont have blogger anymore, so I dont know how you would fix this but there must be a setting on wordpress. That way We can reply to your comments directly!